For those in the wrestling community, the girls side of the sport has been exploding in popularity in recent years. With boosts from the recent Paris Olympics, where Penn High School product Sarah Hildebrandt won a gold medal, and both Amit Elor and Kennedy Blades also claimed medals in Paris, the sport is taking off stateside.
In Indiana, it was a banner year for the IHSAA, which celebrated girls wrestling with its inaugural year as a sanctioned sport. Over 700 female wrestlers competed at the high school level, and even more are working up through the middle school and club levels to keep feeding the machine.
One of those girls working up the ranks is West Noble Middle School seventh grader Mia Macias, who had a solid middle school season, and is now keeping that momentum going through the club circuit. Recently, Macias competed at the ISWA Freestyle State Finals in Avon, where she finished second in the 95-pound weight class for 14U competitors.
“There was a lot of competition down there, and I was happy with how it worked out,” Macias said of her weekend at Avon. The tournament itself bolstered a whopping 32 age categories for both boys and girls, accommodating weights from featherweights to heavyweights. “There was so much talent down there from all over the state. You get to see what it takes to be good at the sport. I was happy I got to experience that.”
Macias, who has wrestled for three years, competed in the 14U pool that had competitors from Penn, Garrett and Whiteland, all of which bolster top-flight high school programs. Her major highlight came in a pin of Penn's Peyton Dodd.
“I feel like the sport is for me,” Macias said. “The training and everything makes me a better wrestler. It makes me feel like I can accomplish a lot.”